valediction

[ val-i-dik-shuhn ]

/ ˌvæl ɪˈdɪk ʃən /

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noun

an act of bidding farewell or taking leave.

an utterance, oration, or the like, given in bidding farewell or taking leave; valedictory.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of valediction

1605–15; <Latin valedictiōn- (stem of valedictiō), equivalent to valedict(us), past participle of valedīcere (vale farewell + dictus, past participle of dīcere to say) + -iōn--ion

Words nearby valediction

Valdo, Val-d'Oise, Val d'Or, Valdosta, vale, valediction, valedictorian, valedictory, valence, valence band, valence-conduction band

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use valediction in a sentence

If Shinseki had given the same speech three weeks ago, it might have been a campaign plan instead of a valediction.
VA Scandal: How a General Lost Command|Jacob Siegel|May 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Three weeks ago, it might have been a campaign plan—instead of a valediction.
VA Scandal: How a General Lost Command|Jacob Siegel|May 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the weeks ahead that warning may well become the most common valediction in eastern Ukraine.
Inside Putin's Rigged Ukraine Election|Jamie Dettmer|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"I never remember sich a evenin', my dear," was Mrs. Stitchley's valediction.
Mrs. Bindle|Hebert Jenkins

Shall we pronounce the sad valediction to freedom, and immolate liberty on the altars our fathers have raised to her?
The Bay State Monthly, Volume I. No. VI. June, 1884|Various
I gave him the usual Spanish valediction, Vaya usted con Dios, and saw no more of him.
The Bible in Spain|George Borrow
Shakespeare put his valediction into the mouth of Prospero; Sophocles entrusted his to his greatest creation Oedipus.
Authors of Greece|T. W. Lumb
It poured itself into one mournful, savage, sacred cry of salutation and valediction.
The Tree of Heaven|May Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for valediction

valediction

/ (ˌvælɪˈdɪkʃən) /

noun

the act or an instance of saying goodbye

any valedictory statement, speech, etc

Word Origin for valediction

C17: from Latin valedīcere, from valē farewell + dīcere to say

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

valediction

Origin of valediction

Words nearby valediction

Words related to valediction

How to use valediction in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for valediction

Word Origin for valediction